The Lady and the Earl (19 page)

“It is the most convenient and comfortable way,” Declan explained.  “You may relax against me.  Contrary to earlier behavior, I will be a complete gentle
man
.”

Allana laughed and found him laughing with her.
  She wished more than anything for this to be more than what it was.  She wished he was hers and
that
she could ride like this with him whenever she liked.  She wished he would take her in his arms and kiss her again.  And then she would remember the events of the day.  She was covered in dried mud. 
She’d
made a fool of herself around him.  It would never be as she wished.  Thus, she did as he said and relaxed into him, enjoying the moment while she could.

“How is your wrist
?” he
asked casually.

“It hurts more than I care to admit,” Allana replied.

“It is unfortunate I have nothing to make a sling for it,” he said.

“There were things in Cherry’s saddlebag, but she is probably home by now.”  Allana sighed in
defeat at the thought.  “They’
re probably out looking for me as we speak.  I do not relish
the idea of facing Connor after this.”
She thought she felt
Lord
Cunningham
stiffen behind her.

“Why is that
?” he
asked.

“
I was careless.  You
witnessed
the rest,” Allana said with a shrug.

“
Yes I did.  Were I him, I would insist on accompanying you from this day forward.
”

Allana groaned.  “He most likely will.  I can feel my freedom slipping away as we speak.”

Declan actually laughed.  “He gives you far too much if he allows you to ride alone as it
is.” 
 

“Oh
?” 

“Had I not been about,
you could be stranded right now.  Not only that, but y
ou were very lucky you were not injured more than your wrist.  What would have happened if you were?  What would have happened if I was not the one to find you?  There are dangerous people about these days,” he
said
.

“Now you
’
re beginning to sound
just like
him
.  I’ve
heard these arguments many times,” Allana laughed.

“And yet you resist?  Why?  Surely it would be more pleasant riding with Connor than without,” Declan
inquired.

“It is pl
easant riding with him, but he’
s a very busy person these days.  He
is
n’t
always able to go
.  Besides, a lady needs time to herself once in a while.  Riding gives me that,” Allana explained.

“I see.  So I’ve
interrupted your privacy.”

Allana glanced up at him.  They were far too close for comfort.  She could feel her cheeks redden.  “Yes, but I welcome it.”

Declan looked confused.  “Would you welcome Connor’s interruption?”

“No.  He knows me far too well.  My pride as well as my wrist would have been injured had he been the one to see…
er
…to witness what
happened
,” Allana answered honestly.  Humiliation burned within as she recalled the language
she’
d used on Cherry
earlier.
 
Lord Cunningham
had seen the fall, and that meant
he’d
heard those words as well.
  She
couldn’t
let it pass without an apology.  She sighed. 
“My
Lord
?”

“Please, Declan,” he reminded her.

She struggled saying his name.  He
was always
Lord
Cunningham
or
my
Earl
in her mind. 
She’d
never used his first name before.  She hesitated before finally saying his name aloud.  “Declan
.
”
 
S
aying it was actually quite pleasant.
“
I must apologize.  I…,” she cleared her throat uncomfortably.  “
You should not have been subjected to my outburst from earlier.
”

He chuckled lightly.  “I believe the tears were acceptable.  They tend to occur when one is injured as you are.”

Allana’s cheeks flared more.  Of course he would think of that instead of what she truly meant.  “Thank you for understanding, but that is not the outburst
to which
I was referring.
  I was thinking of the language I used after Cherry thr
ew
me.  It was inappropriate
,
and I
apologize for
it
.”  Allana exhaled slowly.  The apology was
made
.  Hopefully there was nothing else left to
cause embarrassment.

He laughed this time.  “Ah, I see.  I had forgotten it actually. 
Hmm.
  I will make a bargain with you
.
”

Allana looked at him curiously.  H
e
hadn’t
accepted her apology.  Instead he was bargaining with her.
  What could he possibly want from her?

“I will forget said incident if you promise to forget my weakness in kissing you earlier.  If Connor learned of it, it could cause problems with our friendship,” he explained.

Allana nodded.  “I see.  So you wish my silence for your forgiveness?”

He laughed.  “There is
no need to forgive because I was not offended.  However, I will forget it and never bring it up again if you promise the same.”

“Oh…v
ery well.
  I promise the same then,” she replied.  He looked rather relieved. 
Why w
as he so worried about Connor?  Perhaps he had heard how protective Connor had been with her and Lucas.
  Of course
,
that would mean he knew who she was
, and aside from her name, she
wasn’t
certain he did
.
 

“Good.  We have an agreement then.”

“Yes, it seems we do
,
”
she answered.  He smiled at her, and it seemed she
lost her heart even more to her
Earl.

Connor stretched.  Paperwork was tedious
.  He woul
d have preferred to be riding with Allana.  He wondered how she was handling that horse.  He shook his head.  The beast had been acting up lately. 
Lilly gave her far too much slack, but if anyone knew how to handle a stubborn horse, it would be Allana.

“Marcus!”
Lilly’s voice
cried
through the house.
 
“Marcus, come quickly!”

Connor jumped as did his father.  His father even
cursed
before darting out of the office.  Connor followed right behind.  Lilly’s voice was urgent.  A sinking feeling entered Connor’s gut. 
S
omething was wrong, and his gut told him
it had something to do with Allana.

Lilly was in the main entrance
hall of the house.  “Marcus!” s
he shouted.  She was heading for the front door
as if ready to charge out
of
it with or without Connor’s father
.

“What is it?”
Lord
Tananguard asked.

“It’s Cherry.  She
’
s back and without Allana!” Lilly said frantically.  “I saw her running in from the
eas
t without a rider.”

“Oh no,” Connor said.  He ran for the front door followed closely behind by his father and Lilly. 

The three of them ran to the stables, Lilly slightly slower.  She made it there by the time
Connor and his father had thoroughly examined Cherry for injuries.

“Well
, she’
s dirty, but uninjured.  Could Allana have sent her
home so she could walk?
”
Lord
Tananguard asked.

“She’
s never done so in the past,” Lilly
answered
.  “Why would she start today?”

“I agree,” Connor added.  “Something must have happened.”

Lord
Tananguard nodded.  Then he called out,
“Fredric!” 

The stable boy
was
hovering just with
in the stables. 
“Aye, my
Lord
?” he
asked
, stepping forward from the shadows
.

“How long has Cherry been back?”

“Just moments, my
Lord
.”

“Lilly said she came from the
eas
t.  Did you see more than that?”

“No, my
Lord
.”

Lord
Tananguard nodded.  “Take Cherry inside and clean her.  Connor and I will saddle our own mounts to go in search
o
f Allana.”

“Aye, my
Lord
,” Fredric said. 

“And me?”
Lilly asked.  “What of me?”

“You will stay here,”
Lord
Tananguard ordered.

“But Marcus
—
”

“Please, Lilly.  Someone needs to stay here.  You are the most logical choice, my love,”
Lord
Tananguard said tenderly.

Lilly sighed, but nodded in agreement.

They saddled their horses with speed. 
Connor was
tempted to go bareback, but he knew the extra time saddling the horses would be worth it.  They could travel faster and more
comfortably. 

“Hurry back with news,” Lilly begged. 

“
We
will
,”
Lord
Tananguard promised.

The two men took flight, pushing their horses
eas
t toward Cunningham’s land.  They were nearing the border when Connor
heard Allana’s laugh.  A few moments later he
spotted
her
.  His jaw dropped.  This was not terrible.  This was
marvelous
!  Allana
was with
none other than Cunningham
himself
.  She was abroad his horse with Cunningham walking in front
,
guiding
, and they were both smiling.
 

“Do you see what I see?”
Connor asked his father
in astonishment
.

“
I do
.  I wonder if she’
s injured
,”
Lord
Tana
nguard replied.  “Cunningham!” h
e
bellowed
.  The man on foot waved.  “Is she injured?”

“Nothing se
rious!”
Cunningham
called
back.

Connor’s father sighed in relief. 
“Blasted girl.
 
Scared me to death.
 
I assume the two of you can get her home without incident. 
I am going back to
inform
Lilly
all is well
.”

Connor nodded.  His father turned his mount around and headed back toward the manor. 

*
             
*
             
*

Declan Cunningham could
not
have been happier and more disappointed when seeing Connor Tananguard approach.  There hadn’t been a woman in nearly ten years who had caught his eye the way the woman atop his horse had.  And she belo
nged to another man
. 
That
she had made perfectly clear.  The situation puzzled Declan though. 
She
didn’t
seem like a woman in love when she spoke of Connor
Tananguard
, and th
ere were several times he was certain she was
showing interest in him
.  But she’
d told him she was Connor’s.  Not in those words particularly, but what other conclusion was there?
 
And because she belonged to Connor, Declan was forced
to ignore his desire to pursue her. 
Thus, he needed to dum
p
her in Connor’s lap and be done with her before he became attached
.  Unfortunate
ly, the
latter was already occurring.  He shouldn’t have kissed her.  What had he been thinking? 
It
must
have been the tears and the faith in her eyes when he told her he would take care of her.  She had looked at him so trustingly with those
lovely
, green eyes.  Even covered in mud,
she’d
been tempting.  And so he’
d done the unthinkable.  He had kissed her, a complete stranger.  It was madness, that’s what it was.
 

The woman was very different from any he had encountered before.
  She actually laughed with him
—not the dainty, shy giggle most noblewomen used, but an actual laugh
.  She was spirited
—stubborn
—
but spirited
.
  And she was quite lovely
, mud included
.
  He wanted to know more about her, but
he’d
kept his distance
when
he
realized she belonged to Connor,
keeping to small talk and simple things.  Yet he found himself laughing with her more than once over something either one had said.  It was far too pleasant being in her company.

Once they had come close to the
border
of his and
Tananguard’s
land,
Declan
suggested he guide the horse from foot so as not to cause suspicion.  He
didn’t
want to appear too friendly with another man’s intended.
And he was right in doing so.  Connor and Marcus had arrived sooner than he had anticipated, both looking rather concerned.

“Connor,” Declan said to the approaching man.  “Where has your father gone?”

“To relieve Lilly’s worries.
  She was the one who spotted
Cherry
returning without
her rider,” Connor answered. 
He glanced up at Allana, and then did so again, truly taking in the sight of her disheveled form.
  “Allana
?” he
said in astonishment.  “What happened?”

Declan tried not to smile as he heard a quiet groan come from the woman. 
For some odd reason, she
didn’t
want Connor to kno
w she’
d been
thrown. 
It was curious.  She
didn’t
run to Connor to cry on his shoulder of her misfortune.  She simply seemed reluctant. 

Declan glanced up at her briefly.  There was a look of despair upon her face.  Shouldn’t she be joyous to see her beau?  Perhaps she truly feared losing her freedom.
  Was Connor so protective of her?  That
didn’t
seem like the Connor Declan knew
, but one tended to be different when one was in love
.  Perhaps
he
should
spare
Allana
the
inevitable
outcome
of losing said freedom
should Conner learn the truth
of her fall.
 

“I witnessed the entire event,”
Declan answered Connor.
  “I was too far away to make speech without shouting mind you,” he explained first.  “From where I was, though, I watched Lilly’s horse casually stroll into a bog.  It was as if our dear
Lady
Allana was not truly paying attention until it was too late.  I tried to make my way to her before she was forced to dirty herself, but I was too slow.  She dismounted and proceeded to guide the horse
through the mud.  She slipped, landed incorrectly upon her wrist, and the horse
darted away, leaving
her stranded.  It was my duty to assist.” 

Allana was gaping at him, her beautiful eyes growing
larger
than they already were.
 

“Is that not correct, my L
ady?”
Declan asked.

She quickly shut her jaw and
nodded.  “Indeed it is.” 

“That
damned
horse!  I tried to warn you.  You should have waited for me,” Connor said
in disapproval.  “And now you’re injured.”  He’
d dismounted and was by Allana’s side.  He held his arms up to her and slid her down off the horse.  “Let me see.” 

Connor pulled
at her left hand without her consent.
  It was rather familiar behavior even for a couple betrothed, and Connor was usually quite respectful toward women.  What was different about this one?  She had said Connor knew her too well.  Had they grown up together and been promised to each other as children?

“Connor, it’s nothing.  Please, stop fussing.  I am well,” she said, pushing aside his touch.

Another strange reaction
.
  Shouldn’t she want Connor’s touch?  No, she did not like being fussed over. 
Declan
had done the same to her earlier and had received a similar reaction.  But he was a stra
nger, and Connor was her beau. 

Allana
sighed
as Connor fussed over her nonetheless. 
He examined her wrist to his own satisfaction then the rest of her. 

“There are no other injuries.
  I am fine
,
Connor.” 

Connor
ignored her, continuing his examination.  T
hat is when
Allana
finally showed her affection. 
Gently, she touched
Connor’s
face with her uninjured hand to force him to look at her
then graced him with a beautiful smile. “Connor,” she said patiently.  He met her eyes, and Declan wished he could trade places with the man.  “I truly am fine.”
 

Connor
just stared back with concern.  Declan was certain were he in Connor’s
place
, he would have swept her into his arms and
kissed her senseless before holding her
close
to his heart’s content.

“We were just so worried.  We were certain something had happened to you,” Connor said tenderly.  He touched her face and pulled her into the embrace Declan would have given her moments ago.  Connor looked at Declan over Allana’s head.  “Thank you.  What would she have done without you?”